


The Taste Of Victory

by postjentacular



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: slythindor100, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 01:48:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20734238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/postjentacular/pseuds/postjentacular
Summary: Whatever happened to good ol' fashioned earwax flavour beans?





	The Taste Of Victory

Hogwarts was as quiet as you would expect for an otherwise nondescript Friday evening in mid-November. Peeves was attempting to corral the ghosts into a coup ("Take orders from a _poltergeist_? Over my nearly decapitated-head"), Filch was patrolling the Charms corridor, certain tonight was the night he'd catch one of those no-good Gryffindors, and the Eighth Years were snug in their common room, arguing over a cauldron of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans.

“I’m telling you, it tastes of Niffler,” Zacharius sniffed, “Although it’s not as if any of you would know. Niffler’s quite the delicacy. I doubt the likes of you have ever tasted it.”

“Maybe you wanna taste a Bat-Bogey hex?” Ginny said, twirling her wand in her fingers menacingly.

“How prole,” he said with a scoff. “Malfoy, come join us and tell these plebeians what Niffler tastes like.”

From the corner of the common room that he had all but hidden in since returning to school in September, Draco slipped his bookmark between the pages and rose from his armchair. As he strode towards the crowd, he let his sneer fall into place,“Whatever are you wittering about now, Smith?”

“Niffler. Tell them what it tastes like.”

“An archaic sense of entitlement and a lack of morals.” Draco turned to the rest of the circle gathered in front of the fireplace, “What are you doing?”

“It was truth or bean, now it’s just bean or bean,” Luna indicated the cauldron full of beans in the middle of the circle. “Seamus went to Hogsmeade to get gillywater and came back with these instead, I think it’s a lovely change.”

“He wussed out of speaking to Rosmerta,” Neville helpfully translated.

“You can have a turn,” Luna encouraged, shuffling closer to Ginny to make room for him between herself and Harry. “Go on, we don’t bite.”

Draco sat himself as genteelly as possible next to Luna on her beanbag, “What exactly is the point of this...” he hesitated, “game?”

“Just don’t pick a horrid one.”

“Why? What happens if I pick a horrid one?”

Luna’s laugh tinkled, “You have to eat it, silly!”

“And that’s it?”

Luna nodded as Hermione leaned across the circle, “Although there might be the tiniest drop of Veritaserum left in the cauldron,” she confided in a stage-whisper as she finished her candy floss flavoured bean.

“I’ll pass,” Draco said.

“Okay,” Luna smiled, popping a black sparkly bean in her mouth. “Mmm, Thestral.”

At Draco’s questioning eyebrow, she backtracked, “Oh no, not like that. It’s the feeling of being around them: peaceful, cold, kinda grassy.”

“See,” Harry leaned in, “Not so bad is it?” He whispered low enough for just Draco to hear. “I’ve been trying to get you to join us all year.”

“My turn,” Ron declared. He stuck his hand in the cauldron without looking and threw a bean in his mouth. “Yes,” he celebrated with a fist pump, “Butterbeer”.

“Euggh.” Next to him, Dean’s face contorted as he chewed, “Squid.” He swallowed, “No, worse, The Great Lake.” He took a swig of Butterbeer to wash it down.

Seamus got a pumpkin juice one; Greg, the Forbidden Forest (“Wet trees and spider webs, innit?”).

Harry picked a purple and black flecked bean from the top of the cauldron. “Dust.” He pronounced, “and… queasiness. I think it’s supposed to be The Knight Bus. Where the hell did you get these, Seamus? What’s wrong with the usual earwax ones?”

Ginny went next, “Grass, leather, sweat. Quidditch,” she announced with a grin.

Pansy got vodka martini (“with just the two olives”); Justin, roast chicken; and Blaise, envelope glue.

“You’re up, Draco,” Pansy pushed the cauldron towards him.

With a resigned sigh, Draco, pushed and prodded at the mound of beans until he found an innocuous gold one. He sniffed it delicately before placing it on his tongue. After a couple of moments he declared, “Golden Snitch.”

Ron snorted, “Like you’ve ever tasted one of those. Remind me again, how many games have you won as Seeker?”

“If you don’t believe me Weasel, you try one.” 

“Fine,” Ron grabbed a yellow bean from the cauldron. “Smoked haddock,” He said under his breath.

Hermione shook her head at his stupidity. “You’re never gonna find one of the same flavour.”

“It tastes like a snitch,” Draco reiterated.

“You’ve never tasted it, how do you know?”

“Smith hasn’t eaten a Niffler and you didn’t question him.” 

“He’s a twat, not a liar. And he could describe it. What does a Golden Snitch taste like then?”

Hermione placed a placating hand on Ron’s thigh, “Just let it go, Ron.”

“What does it taste like, Ferret?” 

“Like. A. Snitch. Weasel.” Draco enunciated.

“Drop it Ron,” Hermione urged under her breath, “It’s just a game. _We_ don't even know what a snitch tastes like.”

“Harry does,” Ginny said, with as much faux-innocence as she could muster.

Hermione turned her focus to the other Weasley. “Ginny,” she threatened, as lines began to be drawn across the circle. 

“What, 'Mione? He does!”

“Fine!” Harry startled the group into silence. In a single swift movement he swung himself into Draco’s lap and kissed him thoroughly. Draco, for his worth, gave as good as he got; only at Pansy’s pointed cough did they pull back. 

“So what’s it taste like?” Ginny asked with a grin.

“Victory.” 

**Author's Note:**

> [Challenge #232](https://slythindor100.tumblr.com/post/187446677516/challenge-232)\- use at least 15 of these words:  
1) Knight bus  
2) Hogwarts  
3) Quidditch  
4) Seeker  
5) Snitch  
<strike>6) Transfiguration</strike>  
<strike>7) Expecto Patronum </strike>  
8) Charms  
9) Peeves  
10) Black Lake  
11) Forbidden Forest  
12) Hogsmeade  
13) Niffler  
<strike>14) Levitate</strike>  
15) Bat-Bogey Hex  
16) Bertie Bots Every Flavour Beans  
17) Pumpkin juice  
18) Butter beer  
19) Veritaserum  
20) Thestral


End file.
